


Jim Lake's Guide to Affection

by TotallyHuman



Series: The Draal/Jim One [2]
Category: Trollhunters (Cartoon)
Genre: Cuddling, Fluff, Freeform, Kissing, M/M, Very Vaguely Established Relationship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-01-09
Updated: 2017-01-09
Packaged: 2018-09-16 00:35:54
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Underage
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,681
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9265973
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TotallyHuman/pseuds/TotallyHuman
Summary: Jim and Draal spend some intimate moments together, where Jim tries to entice Draal into trying something new.





	

**Author's Note:**

> I decided to combine a couple prompts here - one from the Jo commentor whom I can't tag for whatever reason that is probably just my own technical difficulties, and one from a tumblr anon who requested Cuddling (and maybe some kissing)
> 
> I hope it doesn't disappoint\\\

Jim’s body crunches up with the sudden burst of laughter that escapes him. It goes as quickly as it came with Jim’s hand having snatched and pushed at Draal’s hand feverishly to get it away from his sides. Draal is appropriately taken aback by the abruptness of it all, followed by Jim’s blushing embarrassment in it’s wake.

“Ah-hah, uh, sorry - “ Jim says in a voice quickly recovering from meek as he more gently cups Draal’s fist in both hands, “I’m just kinda ticklish. There. On my sides.”

Jim is curled up against Draal, both of them on their sides facing each other. They paint an obscenely mismatched pair. What with Draal being a troll and massive in comparison to Jim. But even with every possibly ‘intimidating’ perception of Draal, the scene is indubitably soft in both tone and ambience. The two of them are on a pile of blankets Jim laid out in the basement with the furnace crackling with heat on the other side of the small mountain that is Draal. Jim’s sure that Draal appreciates the blankets and pillows he brought down so they wouldn’t have to lounge on the cold cement floor, but it’s no matter because they’re more occupied with each other. With the feet they’re intensely testing the waters of this… them… with.

Draal’s skin isn’t rock, exactly. Maybe a bit. It’s like… soft rock. Or extremely thick, rock-weaved skin. Jim doesn’t pretend to understand troll anatomy. In the current moment, it’s nice to feel beneath his hands, brushing against the limited amounts of skin exposed by his t-shirt and pajama pants that Jim is wearing.

“Ticklish?” Draal says, mildly judgemental.

Jim rolls his eyes, mouth quirked up in a recalcitrant way before smoothing out as he responds. “It means _sensitive_ , alright. I mean, you brushed my side like - _super_ lightly, it made me have to laugh.”

Draal looks at his own hand, flexing it out in Jim’s tediously. An introspective glint shines in Draal’s eyes and Jim could guess what he’s thinking about. Again, this. Them. This and them. Together and worlds apart, but at the same time not. The Irish knot of intricacies comprising what they’ve got between each other.

“It’s okay, though,” assures Jim. He guides Draal’s hand back to his waist, where Draal had been daring to wrap his hand before. “It doesn’t happen every time. You just… don’t have to be so timid about it, is all.”

“I’m not timid,” grumbles Draal and Jim smiles. There minute shifts and twitching in Draal’s hold on Jim’s waist like Draal can’t quite get the limb to calm down and only _be_. Which, okay, Jim’s fidgety too. His fingers tap in a broken rhythm on Draal’s pectoral. Everything highlights their size difference. The hand Alone can fit across the entirety of Jim’s lower back. Man, is he nervous. Jim takes his lower lip between his teeth, weighing his next move _so_ _carefully_. Draal is staring pointedly upward as he thumbs a circle into Jim’s side through the fabric of his shirt.

“Draal,” Jim finally musters the courage to start. The fear the Troll’s chant at him day and night is present too, a tight ball in his throat that Jim has to swallow down. “Do you remember when I talked to you about kissing?”

With the question Jim’s captured Draal’s (previously pretended differently, for all Draal tried to hide it from Jim) undivided attention. “The ritual you wanted to perform with the girl?”

“With Claire, yeah.” Jim clears his throat in light of the name drop. Not that it made him uncomfortable, but Claire was still one of his best friends and it’s only right Draal refer to her by her name. Even given the circumstance. Jim smiles in spite of his nervousness, a kind curl of his lips as Draal stares with an equally good-natured smile. Jim’s eyes skirt across his lips and the teeth that jut from them momentarily before returning to Draal’s eyes. “But my main - the reason I bring it up is because…” he trails off for a second only before forcing himself to finish, “Would you want to try it?”

“I don’t know if Trolls do that sort of stuff, but humans do and it’s really nice and it’s a good way to help work these feelings out, I think. I figure.” After all, whenever Jim’s come across someone that sparked that fluttering feeling in his stomach he’s _wanted_ to kiss them. Not that he’s ever gotten so far with that desire alone. Then again, Jim’s never been so close to the chance to test it as now. And Draal seems like he could be open to it. Optimism at it’s finest, Toby would be proud of Jim. He hopes. “So, if you were maybe interested in - ”

“Indulging you?” Draal finds an end to the reiteration of Jim’s previous question. Jim goes for a charming smile that winds up endearing more than anything as Draal assesses the situation. At least that’s what Jim assumes the pause that follows is for.

“Alright, I’ll do this kissing tradition,” Draal agrees and Jim feels a bubbly giddiness surge into his veins as he sits up.

“Fantastic! Or cool. That’s cool,” Jim grins, unable to suppress it. Not that he’s got some complex that insists he try in the first place. Jim looks over Draal thoughtfully as Draal follows suit to sit up on the blankets as well. “Okay, so,” it’s not like Jim is going to be able to lean forward and _bam_ they’re kissing. Height aside, there’s some proportions to take into consideration. The hand that had unconsciously flown to Jim’s face in thought drops as Jim finds a solution. Draal for his part watches with an impression of insouciance. “Here - just… spread your legs apart but not _too_ much - yup, alright - “ Jim raises up on his knees and positions himself on Draal’s lap, using Draal’s thighs not unlike foot stools to raise the faces to the same height. _Close enough_ to the same height.

Once they’re level Jim presses his lips together, an antsy wave washing over him as he settles his hands on Draal’s shoulders. “Much better - ”

“How does this work? I don’t know yet - “

“I’m going to explain - “

“The only thing you’ve done is continue to crawl on me, Jim Lake - “ a stressing emphasis on _crawl_.

“Draal,” Jim says with a degree of whining that’s absolutely necessary to subdue Draal’s nervousness. And Jim knows he’s nervous because of the back and forth attitude that, he’ll admit, he’s not yet learned to quell instead of perpetuate right off the bat.

Thankfully, Draal clams up and meets Jim’s gaze - which is far less trained as it flickers between Draal mouth and his eyes before settling on the latter as he begins his explanation. Now, Jim may not be an expert _per se_ , in the first hand experience category; but he’s got a life time of gushy romantic movies (watched with his mother with total dignity) for the technical know-how of what to do. “You kind of purse you lips like this - “ Jim demonstrates with his own as Draal studies, “and I’ll do the same, and we just kinda… lean in and press our lips together. Is that simple enough?”

“You’re not the only quick learner,” Draal replies, which is good enough.

“Close your eyes though,” Jim notes.

“How will I know where your lips are?”

Jim rolls his eyes, “ _I’ll_ find _your_ lips. Don’t worry. It’s easy.”

Draal exhales in the equivalent of an ‘Okay’ and lets his eyelids fall shut. Jim does the opposite, sucking in all the oxygen he can as if he were about to go deep sea diving without the suit, or tank, or boat. With the pace of a lazy wave lapping at a calm sea shore, Jim rolls forward. His eyes flutter shut himself last second as he meets his lips to Draal’s. The skin there isn’t quite any softer than any other part of Draal’s body but Jim is so much closer to that deep, musky mineral scent that Draal naturally exudes that the kiss still sets Jim’s veins abuzz. The kiss is basic, their lips pressed rigidly against one another until Jim urged himself relax bodily against Draal and tilt his head a bit, pulling back only to murmur, “Now move with it.”

Both of Draal’s hands settle on Jim’s waist, holding Jim tensely for a minute before Draal seems to remember that Jim isn’t exactly going to shatter to pieces if he forms a grip. Even without armor. It’s right about this point when Jim smiles against Draal’s, feeling the nudge of one of Draal’s lower canines against his cheek as he pulls back to lock eyes with Draal. He’s sure that his cheeks have taken on a rosy tint, but doesn’t mind.

“That’s the basic idea,” Jim states before asking: “What do you think?”

“It’s a bit ridiculous to use your mouth so trivially,” Draal concludes before apparently backtracking, “But then again Tobias does seem to speak excessively. Also you were quite soft,” Draal smiles, having made a joke. Jim chuckles amorously.”I should advise against it, but well,” a laugh like a distant bass drum reverberates out of Draal with _immense_ appeal, “I’ll admit it’s _nice_.”

“Maybe we can use tongue soon,” Jim throws the suggestion to the wind, hoping desperately it’ll catch a hook. It does. One side of Draal’s brow raises with piqued interest. Jim sticks his tongue out, “It’s French style. But… not until we get you some _serious_ mouthwash.”

Jim swoops in hastily to pepper Draal’s lips with two more kisses before he sinks down and sits horizontally in Draal’s lap instead, kicking one leg over the other to sit cross-legged. “Thanks, Draal.” Jim says, more hushed and reserved. Draal nods and understands. One of Draal’s arms is hooked under Jim’s back, holding him upwards. Almost cradling Jim, if he were to put a name to it. The other hand is resting on Jim’s right shin in a tender, restful hold.

  
“Thank _you_ , Jim Lake.”

**Author's Note:**

> Sorry for any mistakes, it was really only skimmed and edited for myself since I don't have a beta


End file.
